Eco Experience
with Eco Chick
Hey People! Here we go...
I don't know about you, but I am feeling very inspired and encouraged after listening to Dr. M's speech at the Welcome Back event. Growing together, centering students-yes! I am here for it!
I look forward to working with MANY of you as the year rolls along. It is so exciting that folx are beginning to sign up for our popular (and amazing!) Fish Eggs to Fry Salmon education offering and it's certainly shaping up to be a year of joyful learning experiences.
Wishing you a fabulous school year!
Tana aka Eco Chick
Click here for the Back to School Edition of the Eco Experience, which details our program and back to school waste information.
Check out our website's teacher page for program offerings. (Note: updates always in progress)
Reach out with questions. shepard_t@4j.lane.edu
Oregon Advances K-12 Climate Education with New Legislation
In June 2025, Governor Tina Kotek signed House Bill 3365 into law, marking a historic win for climate education in our state. HB 3365 requires that future updates to Oregon’s academic standards in science, social studies, and health must include learning about the causes and effects of climate change, strategies for mitigation and adaptation, and ways to build community resilience.
This success was led by Oregon Educators for Climate Education (OECE), a statewide coalition of educators working to integrate climate literacy across all grade levels and core subjects. Their vision centers on equity, access, and regionally relevant, hope-filled, solution-oriented climate education for every Oregon student. By uplifting student voices and building an intergenerational coalition, OECE helped pass legislation that embeds climate change and sustainability directly into K-12 curriculum standards.
The movement began in 2020, sparked by student advocacy. Students called for more than a few lessons in science class—they wanted climate education embedded across all subjects, throughout their entire education. Their message was clear: they are deeply concerned about their futures and want the tools to take informed, meaningful action.
HB 3365 aims to increase understanding of the ecological, societal, and cultural aspects of climate change; equip students to address related mental health challenges; and examine climate’s disproportionate impacts on historically marginalized communities.
Oregon now joins a small but growing number of states leading the way in climate education—proof that collective, community-driven action truly makes a difference.
Love Food Not Waste
Love Food Not Waste is our city's food waste collection program. Our district has been successfully participating in the program for the past 4 years. in school year 2024/25, we collectively kept nearly 905,000 pounds of food waste out our local landfill, Short Mountain. Using the SORrT system in our cafeterias helps students quickly navigate the waste stations successfully and helps our district contribute to our carbon emissions reductions goals.
SORrT
SORrT stands for:
Separate
Organics: food scraps/plants into food waste container, liquids into buckets, unwanted/uneaten whole fruits and packed foods into no thank you area for others to take
Reusables: trays, bowls, spoons, forks
recyclables: empty milk cartons, scraped round tubs/bowls, cans, bottles, lids as long as they are screwed onto item...
Trash: everything else goes to the landfill
Recycle On Guide
With our state's new recycling guidelines, a new poster has been developed just for schools to help us understand what can and cannot be recycled in the blue bins. A lower case r is used to emphasize recycling being lower on the 5 R's hierarchy chart.
Note: SORrT and Recycling posters designed by Creative Commons Students
OSU's Better Watch Your Backyard: Tracking Oregon’s Seasons
September 9 from 12-1 pm
Changes in things like bloom timing, the amount/type of precipitation your area receives, or other seasonal phenomena are exactly the kinds of thing the folks behind Oregon Season Tracker are trying to understand. This ongoing community science project teams up volunteers, natural resource managers, educators, and researchers to further the understanding of weather and climate and their effects on our local environment. You can support its efforts simply by reporting precipitation and seasonal plant changes from your own home, farm, woodland, ranch, or school—watch to learn more!
September Environmental Focus "Good Clean Fun"
What would happen if every person picked up at least one piece of trash?
September is a great time to get your students outside to take action for the planet. Let's clean her up! Below is a list of some of the September environmental recognition days. Litter pick-ups are a great way to connect students to the environment....and collect data using the Litterati app.
Zero Emissions Day 9/21
World Rivers Day 9/28
World Environmental Health Day 9/26 theme: Clean Air, Healthy People
Choose a date and reserve the 4J/EEP litter pick-up kit. Our staff would love to join you!
Global Climate Strike September 15 &17
This year's theme: End the Era of Fossil Fuels
It's been fourteen years since local climate activist, Kelsey Juliana first started her legal advocacy for limiting climate change. It's been seven years since Greta Thunberg skipped school and protested against climate change. These actions, among others taken by youth, have spurred quite a movement.
Striking isn't the only way for us to stand up for the planet...let's think outside the box! Give students time to share their voices for our dearly beloved, Mother Earth and our fellow humans that call this planet our home.
Consider some of these options to allow for student agency and action:
- UN: Transforming Climate Issues into Action
- Do One Thing DOT mural
- Create Earth Loving art and hang it around your school
- Lunch time Climate March around your school grounds or the 10 block allowed walking distance
- Gather at the flag pole and recite the Earth Pledge
- Climate Strike and Art Activism activity
- Write to a local or national leader , How to...
- Digital "strike"
- Have an idea? Please share.
Please share your projects with us! 🌎🌏🌍
Stormwater Awareness Week September 22-26th
Stormwater Awareness week takes place every year in the fall. This year it is September 22-26th. The theme this year is Navigating a modern world of compliance.
You are the voice of stormwater! Tell your story. Share your voice.
Check out SPLASH! site for resources.
Get Outside!
McKenzie River Trust's Living River Exploration Days at Green Island
2nd Saturday of the Month, March - December
Take a walk near the place the Willamette and the McKenzie Rivers meet. Observe 15 years of tree-planting work on Green Island, a habitat for beaver, river otter, and over 150 species of birds. If you’re looking for a special place to connect to nature this year, join in the fun on the second Saturday’s, March through December, and explore the Living Rivers in your backyard!
Write Out- Awaken the Senses Choice Board
National Writing Project's Awaken the Senses Choice Board
Given the popularity of last year's board, they have updated the choices to match this year's theme-Awaken the Senses. Choices are color-coded to indicate those better for younger or older writers. We believe green will work great with a whole range of ages.
A printable PDF version with QR codes will be coming soon!
Get 'em Outside!!
In the 1980's EO Wilson coined the term biophilia: that humans are instinctively drawn towards their natural surroundings. Our students are showing us with their "behavior and apathy", that they are ready to connect with our dear Mother Nature. Getting students outside this spring could very well be one of the top priorities for all educators. A core routine, even.
Getting outside provides more than a fun break for youth. It is also good for their physical and mental health and development. Being outside builds confidence, promotes creativity and imagination, teaches responsibility, provides different stimulation, makes one think, and reduces stress and fatigue. It can reduce the negative affects of screen time!
Building a routine around outdoor learning can have it's challenges, but I will tell you from experience-it is WELL worth it. In my 5th grade class at Chávez Elementary, we had clipboards, pencil boxes and book boxes-all mobile and at the ready, just in case the weather called to us to do our free write out, partner read or complete an observation out in the courtyard space. We had "assigned" sit spots and took time every week rain or shine to check in on our micro-ecosystems. Often directions would be delivered indoors to take the "work" outside-then I could wander between the students, helping, just as I did indoors. It is a shift, but I found that my students would work in earnest just for the opportunity to go outside for a 5 minute swallow watching break, laying on their backs taking in the marvel of their flight. Sigh-it was magic.
If you'd like support getting your students outdoors this fall, I would love to work with you. Feel free to email shepard_t@4j.lane.edu to set up a consultation.
Book: Richard Louv Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder
Article: Healthy Children.org Playing Outside-Why It's important
Article: Child Mind Institute Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature
Article:Science Daily Getting Kids Outside can reduce the Negative Effects of Screen Time
Free Outdoor Learning Seasonal Virtual Workshops!
A great variety of topics, including: Learning from the Land, Indigenous Learning Across Seasons...and my favorite, Learning through Lifecycles: A Spotlight on Salmon...and many more.
Begins September 23 and goes through the end of October!
Offered in partnership with Take Me Outside and our Outdoor Learning Partners!
- Registration is FREE and there will be plenty of draw prizes for attendees!
- All registrants will receive a discount code to access outdoor learning resources when they register
- All Virtual Workshops are 60 minutes and will take place at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern
- For those who can’t attend live these will each be recorded and all registrants will be emailed with the link to the recording
- Following the workshop, participants will receive a link to access a Certificate of Attendance
Check out the website here--> Outdoor Learning
Oregon Climate Education Hub
STEM teaching tools Climate Education
Check it out!
4J/EWEB Education Partnership
TOSA-Climate, Energy, Conservation
Grant Coordinator-EWEB, SPLASH!, Love Food Not Waste
Email: shepard_t@4j.lane.edu
Website: https://bit.ly/4J-eep
Phone: 541.790.5533